Befriending Our Missionaries

spiderweb over water

Missionaries are more than just the name tags they wear; they are individuals who need support just like us. When I returned home for the holidays last year, my family invited four missionaries over on Christmas Day: three that currently served in the ward, and one that had served in… Continue reading

First, You Gotta Want It

Person walking through snow

With countless worldly voices vying for our time and attention, shifting our focus and priorities toward eternity is more important than ever before. The key is desire. As human beings, what do we really want? We all have basic human needs—food, shelter, sleep, friendship (to name just a few). Most… Continue reading

Patience Is Active and Humble

clock in the road

“Patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much but being willing, nevertheless, to submit to the Lord.” —President Neal A. Maxwell When I was younger, I remember learning about Christlike attributes during a lesson at church. Our teacher listed a few attributes on the board: faith, hope, charity,… Continue reading

Struggling Through Life Together

Sunrise over a field

We all go through hard things in life, but when we make time to help other people, we can better overcome difficulty. Someone who has never struggled through hard times has never lived. We all face challenges, and many of them are not easily fixed. Trials and challenges are part… Continue reading

Inclusive Language: The Key to Promoting Belonging at Church

Promoting belonging at church requires examining why certain people feel isolated and implementing more inclusive language. Differences in ethnicity, heritage, profession, age, and many other characteristics are what make each community member unique, and this diversity has tremendous potential to cultivate meaningful connections between church members specifically. However, these differences… Continue reading

Where Do Lonely Hearts Go?

girl looking at ocean

Belonging is an individual feeling. But paradoxically, belonging is also a group activity. Although human beings are vastly different, one thing links us all in a shared human experience: our emotions. At one point or another, we’ve all felt the breath of peaceful relief, the smile of giddy joy, the… Continue reading

Doctrine in Doubles

Eternal truths can be found when we understand the blessings of Gospel doctrines. We’re very familiar with the phrase in James 2:17: “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead.” But we’re less familiar with the truth that agency without responsibility is also dead—and becomes just a series of decisions.… Continue reading

Where Is My Happily Ever After?

A woman holding an apple

It may be hard to believe that our imperfect families can be happy together forever, but if we are able to forgive, we will see blessings. Families can be hard to live with. Whether it’s trying to understand someone we don’t get along with or talking to family members who… Continue reading

Answering the Challenging Question: Why?

A group of young adults talking together

As members of the Church, we often meet people who ask why we act a certain way. Keeping Christ as the common denominator can aid in answering these questions. Continue reading